State Senator Kathleen Marchione talks to members of the media following an event to announce the eighth annual RecruitNY statewide firefighter recruitment initiative at the Fuller Road Fire Department on Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Colonie, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union) less

State Senator Kathleen Marchione talks to members of the media following an event to announce the eighth annual RecruitNY statewide firefighter recruitment initiative at the Fuller Road Fire Department on ... more

ALBANY - A surprise retirement announcement by Halfmoon Republican Kathy Marchione has Republicans and Democrats rethinking how to win her state Senate seat in November.

Now that it's an open seat, Columbia County Republican Committee Chair Greg Fingar believes the race for the 43rd Senate District will be a real competition. Republicans have about a 6,000-voter enrollment edge over Democrats in the district, which includes Columbia County and parts of Saratoga, Washington and Rensselaer counties.

"In today's political climate, I don't take anything for granted," Fingar said. "At the end of the day, though, I think we can hold on to the seat."

As to the identity of the nominee, he said, "I have no idea who it will be yet."

Hayner was described as an "exceptional candidate" for the seat by Saratoga County Republican Committee Chair Carl Zeilman. He stressed that Hayner hadn't spoken to him about running.

In 2012, Marchione announced her primary challenge to incumbent Roy McDonald at the ice cream shop run by Hayner's family in Halfmoon. The next year he announced his candidacy to succeed Marchione as county clerk.

Johnson is an attractive candidate for the seat because he has the means to help finance his campaign and could potentially do better than other Republicans in the liberal-leaning Saratoga Springs.

Republicans from Rensselaer County argued that the state Senate candidate should come from there because the county is more moderate and someone with ties to the area, like Fleming, could do well.

Fingar said the goal of the committees is to coalesce behind one candidate before the petitioning process begins on June 5. "I don't think it will go to primary, I really don't," he said.

Rensselaer County political operative Rich Crist stressed the importance of the county Republican committees working together. "We're going to have to function as a team in what could be a challenging environment," he said.

The biggest potential name Democrats could field, Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, isn't in the mix, according to Columbia County Democratic Committee Chair Keith Kanaga. He spoke with Barrett after Marchione's announcement and told him she's not running.

Columbia County Democrat Koethi Zan, who previously formed a campaign committee to challenge Marchione, is in the exploratory phase. "She, along with everybody else, is looking at the whole thing and trying to figure out what the next step is," Kanaga said.

Rensselaer County Democratic Committee Chair Michael Monescalchi said it's possible other candidates may emerge given the late retirement from Marchione.

Marchione's retirement announcement at the annual Saratoga County Republican Committee endorsement meeting on Wednesday night caught the approximately 300 committee members off guard, according to Zeilman. He spoke with Marchione a few days before the announcement and she explained her desire to let local supporters know during the annual endorsement meeting.

Fingar said he wasn't shocked by Marchione's decision to retire, but acknowledged it was a surprise. "I didn't know she was thinking along those lines," he said.

In a statement, Marchione cited family obligations as the rationale for her retirement, but Saratoga County Democratic Committee Chair Todd Kerner believes the results of the recent special elections, including a large state Senate win by Democrats in Westchester County on Tuesday influenced the decision.